Smithsonian Chowder House

Had seafood chowder, popover and salad. SO GOOD! Small place, order at counter, several tables, interesting and varied selection of soups and salads. Definitely will come back when I’m this way again!

most delicious chicken pot pie popover. it was so worth the detour off of the 91. we shared the gourmet grilled cheese *droooooool*. service is so awesome and the people are so friendly! make sure to try a cupcake before you leave!

Everything is great. Awesome family run local business. They use high quality ingredients and the food is always spot on. The seafood chowder is a favorite, the meal deal is a good bang for your buck.

Yesssssss. Holy cow. We had seafood chowder and popovers. The PERFECT lunch while exploring the area and peeping at foliage. The chowder was rich and full of fish, shrimp, clams and scallops. The popovers were ENORMOUS, eggy and super fresh. I’m tempted to drive back out there from Boston to dine there again. Staff was super friendly and helpful too!

I’m in love with the Smithsonian Chowder House. We were driving back from Vermont and google maps had us take a detour off of I-​91 to state road 5, and back to I-​91. While on state road 5, we got hungry, so we pulled over to Smithsonian Chowder House.
Turns out, I have no idea what anything is on their menu. But now I was to eat everything on their menu.
The girl running the shop was very sweet and patient with the imbecile passerbys (us) when explaining wtf a Popover was. Or what a Glumpki soup was too.
Popovers, for those who don’t know, are eggy, buttery, muffin-​shaped, hollow, yet crispy… shell. I wish I had a picture to aid my description, but I ate it all too fast.
They were out of clam chowder when we arrived, so we had to settle for the Glumpki soup. There was a lobster stuffed popover on the menu, and I couldn’t resist. The very friendly casher taking our order had a very interesting tattoo that I asked about. She explained that it was for her grandfather, and it was too closer to his memorial date for her to explain. I’ll def use that next time strangers ask about any of my scars, tattoos, shirts, or the way I walk.
The popover was delicious, stuffed with lightly seasoned lobster. I was able to taste all the flavors of the lobster without excessive mayo overpowering the dish.
The glumpki soup was as fun to eat as it is so say. Half way through the meal, the chowder was ready, so nice girl with the tattoo gave us a sample of the chowder. It was definitely very creamy and very delicious.
They also had beautiful cupcakes made from scratch in addition to homemade bread and butter pickles. I realllly like bread and butter pickles, but I didn’t need an entire jar.
Overall, I’m very happy that we stumbled upon this place!

Great soups! Spinach — portabella soup is awesome. Popovers yummy. Don’t try the lobster salad. Nice place to stop for lunch.

Absolutely get the seafood chowder! The popovers and lobster bisque are good but it’s all down hill from the chowder.

We stopped in here for a quick lunch while on the road. There was ample parking and it was right off the highway.
The counter staff was extremely helpful in assisting us in picking what to order. We had the lobster salad in a popover and lobster salad over a salad, along with a small bowl of chicken soup. I must say everything was really good. The lobster salad in the popover was nicely filled, the popover was warm and buttery, and the flavor was great.
It also came with a side of pasta salad which was great. I would eat a whole bowl of that and be happy any day!
Overall, I would definitely return to this location. I enjoyed the inventiveness of putting lobster salad inside a popover which created something I’ve never had before!

Stopped in on our way back from a Vermont vacation. We ordered some soups, sandwiches, popovers, and salads. If you’re looking for some spot on food with generous portions that won’t dent your wallet, the chowder house is the place to go. Friendly staff too!

Great place to fill up on food: sandwiches, chowders, cupcakes, popovers, coffee… Likely they’d have something for everyone. The staff is very friendly.
I’ve actually never seen a restaurant with all their food options in one place, but it is perfect for a lunch stop, regardless of whether I’m craving some caffeine, sweets, savory or filling foods.
There are gluten free pastries and vegetarian soups.

Big City guy from the West Coast looking for some New England charm and chowder. Found it here! The owners work hard to provide fresh, quality items with distinctive flavors. Everything we tried was great… not just good. Only down side, first time I have ever been hit up for a tip from a self order/​pick up your own place. Tip for what? There is no «service» so just raise the prices a few cents.

Great service and delicious soup. I was able to buy a gallon of soup to serve at a winter gathering I hosted. Kept it warm in a crock pot and it was a hit.

We really enjoy the service and the food. We live in NYC and almost always grab a meal at Smithsonian whenever we visit this neck of the woods.
Pros: easy location, excellent service, solid chowders, excellent popovers and desserts, great for kids, open late, picnic tables for fine weather
Cons: fish and lobsters chowders could have more fish or lobster. Seriously.

This little place was so great! The staff was very nice and the soups and the sandwich we shared were terrific! We would recommend this to everyone. The seafood chowder was delish and my husband had the golumpki soup. He loved it! We also shared a bacon cheese and tomato on wheat bread. Everything was very fresh and tasty! Yummy!

Followed Unilocal reviews to try this and we weren’t disappointed! Delicious soup, popover sandwiches, and cupcakes! Staff was super nice and local regulars gave us tips on their favorites to try.

I incorrectly left a review for another eatery and attributed it to the Smithsonian. The owner of the Smithsonian contacted me and graciously brought the mistake to my attention. Because his manner could have been much different I am giving him five stars. I never got to taste their food, but now I wish I had.

Right off of 91. Delicious soups and chowders. We got the seafood chowder, the golumpki stew (stuffed cabbage in stew form), a BLT and the chicken pot pie stuffed popover. In hindsight this was an absurd over-​order but everything was excellent.
BLT was take it or leave it but the soups are top notch, as was the chicken pot pie (both the filling and the fresh baked popover.

Best fish chowder I’ve ever had! Popovers the size of a baby’s head and delicious! Turkey chili is great too. We happened upon them after seeing a tiny sign on the highway. We made a point of stopping there again on our way back home!

Dude this rocks. Seafood chowder kicks ass. They also have a variety of other soups, which I’m sure are equally delicious. There are some ridiculously awesome looking muffins, cupcakes, and popovers too. If there were anything else near here, well, other than the go kart place, this would Already have reviews.
The inside is like a small town coffee house. Probably seats like 20. Really good coffee too! If not for my diet I would want to try everything here!

I’m smitten.
I LOVE SOUP. Maybe it’s because I’m from New England where things that will warm you from the inside out… like tea, soup and oatmeal… are actually necessities. Maybe it’s because I spent 10 years in Texas pretty much AVOIDING soup or anything else that would cause more sweat beyond the ever-​present jalapenos, serranos and assorted mouth-​scorching chili peppers that were carried across the border and infused into everything from beverage to pudding in an effort to, I’m convinced, cull the weak and ward off northerners. Maybe it’s because I often eat on my lap rather than at a table, but my pumpkin-​esque stature means that I don’t have much of a lap so I gravitate towards a bowl and spoon rather than the plate-​fork-​knife combo that inevitably leads to frustration or, more often, spillage. Maybe it’s because for most of my life, my mother’s stove has had a pot of something or other simmering away. Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above. I am, simply put, a soup person.
And for this reason, I think our visit to the Smithsonian Chowder House this damp, gray afternoon was the start of a culinary love affair. For starters, it’s not much more than five minutes from my office in downtown Northampton. Plus, it is beyond charming in its simplicity. An assortment of (6? 7?) homemade soups, chowders and chilis that vary by the day, an assortment of grilled cheese selections, popovers, and cupcakes. That’s it. I love that they just stick to what they do really well rather than trying to please everyone with a multi-​page menu of mediocrity. And there’s a special place in my heart for unpretentious grub… paper plates, a self-​serve coffee bar, counter ordering, and a handful of tables dappled in airy, natural light that streams in from the windows located on all sides of the five-​tabled dining area.
I had a bowl of the seafood chowder and added a popover for .99 (you can also opt to add a salad & popover for $ 2). Both were great. Ryan had the french dip grilled cheese, which was roast beef and swiss grilled on hearty Texas toast and served with a side of au jus for dipping ($ 6.95 and it came with choice of a bag of chips or side of cole slaw). I thought it looked a bit skimpy on the roast beef, but he absolutely loved it. He also had a cup of cabbage & kielbasa soup which we both thought was wonderful. We grabbed cupcakes to go, including a half dozen to bring to my coworkers ($ 2.50 each or $ 12.50 for six). They had a dense texture and creative flavor combinations, and were a HUGE hit. Most wound up halved or quartered so that people could try multiple types.
This place is a gem, and I will definitely be back!